10 Shades of Pecorino: each different from the other, all an expression of a grape variety that is finding its way to the Olympus of Italian white wines. These are the different nuances that Cantina Tollo Group wants to reveal thanks to a new initiative that places it at the forefront of a different way of reading and interpreting a native symbol of Abruzzo. The roadshow created by the Abruzzo cooperative to tell the international public about this particular grape variety and its expressions is called 10 Shades of Pecorino Grapes. The start for this format that will tour the world took place in Milan, at Maio Restaurant on the terrace of Rinascente Milano overlooking the Duomo . During 2025, between Europe, Asia and America, the program includes numerous stops from the US to Canada, passing through Japan, Vietnam, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Poland and Russia, until touching Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. The protagonists of the event, which will have its grand finale in Rome, are 10 labels signed by Cantina Tollo Group, which during guided tastings reserved for the press and international industry professionals will lead to the discovery and exploration of all the best expressions of Pecorino: from sparkling wine to still organic wine with spontaneous fermentation, passing through heroic viticulture at 800 meters above sea level and refinement in amphora.
“We are among the first producers to have believed in the potential of this grape variety,” explains Sandro Ciavattella, general manager of Cantina Tollo, “and with 10 Shades of Pecorino Grapes we want to present to international markets all the possible interpretations of this wonderful variety, capable of meeting the contemporary taste of consumers who are increasingly oriented towards long-lived, fresh and versatile white wines”.
A variety and diversity that we have also had the opportunity to experience in the glass and that we will tell you about.
10 Shades of Pecorino Grapes: the new international format by Cantina Tollo Group to tell the story of a native vine that is a symbol of Abruzzo wine
The new 10 Shades of Pecorino Grapes format was born from Cantina Tollo Group’s desire to give importance to a fundamental grape variety for the Abruzzo company. Faced with a rapidly growing demand for white wines, the wine cooperative aims to raise awareness of the territory and a grape variety with significant potential, especially on the international markets that are always looking for new products.
There are also 10 references produced by Cantina Tollo Group, from the simplest version to the experimentation in amphora, which tell the story of Pecorino and one of the first companies to enhance its grapes and experiment with different winemaking methods.
A grape variety that is popular, as demonstrated by the significant growth in international markets recorded in the last two years: an increase in sales volumes of 26%, of which 20% is organic.
“It is a unique product”, adds Ciavattella, “which is meeting increasing demand for wines from typical and native white grapes”.
The 10 Shades of Pecorino Grapes, signed by Cantina Tollo and the Feudo Antico archaeo-enology project, start with the Pecorino Spumante Brut Cantina Tollo, gourmet, a Charmat for socializing, perfect to accompany a joyful fried food.
Then, space for the still versions, starting with the Colle Cavalieri Pecorino Terre d’Abruzzo Igp Cantina Tollo 2024: precise, direct, fresh, pleasant, daily, among the labels that we appreciated most during the tasting.
Then space for the green soul, with the Pecorino Terre d’Abruzzo Igp Biologico Cantina Tollo 2024, more complex than the one that preceded it, but at the moment, the child of the very recent harvest, still unripe: it should be noted that this label is also vegan.
The tasting continues with Hedòs Bianco Terre d’Abruzzo Igp Cantina Tollo 2024, where Pecorino meets Coccociola, another native Abruzzo variety to be rediscovered, as well as undergoing a light refinement in wood, which means large barrels: soft, creamy, it recalls yellow and tropical fruit, thanks to notes of pineapple.
Halfway through we meet Peco Pecorino Terre d’Abruzzo Igp Cantina Tollo 2024, another variant among the favorites of our tastings: beautiful balance, structured but with a good acidity, degreasing.
Different profile, but pleasantness that does not disappoint, confirming itself, also for the Pecorino Tullum Docg Feudo Antico 2022: a fresh and dense wine at the same time, fleshy but with an astonishing salinity. Another of our favorite choices.
Closing out are two mini-verticals and the most daring experiments. The Pecorino Tullum Docg Organic Fermentazione Spontanea Feudo Antico connects to the wine that preceded it but presents itself fresher, citrusy thanks to notes of lemon, herbaceous but well structured the 2023; while a good buttery evolution with a nice integration of a lemon that becomes ripe, pleasant and fresh is the 2020, with an evolution that shows a hint of hydrocarbon.
The Pecorino d’Abruzzo Dop 2022, a macerated wine that ferments in wood, tells its story in the mouth with its depth and warmth, between cooked pear and caramel. The other journey through time, with the Casadonna Pecorino Terre Aquilane Igp Feudo Antico, a high-altitude wine that is born above 800 meters above sea level, is divided between a 2022 vintage that tells of freshness, marked acidity and a sharp profile with salty notes, and a 2020 that highlights the light evolution where notes of lemon and sapidity emerge, standing out, giving a sharp and fresh setting.
Last but not least, InAnfora Pecorino Tullum Docg Feudo Antico 2022, another organic interpretation, which tells its story with the classic traits of a natural wine, where the apricot notes blend with a distinctly acidic finish, a perfect label for lovers of the genre.
